Motion-picture in colors



F. E. IVES.' MOTION PICTURE IN COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZ], 1918.

Nm d INVENTOR Em uh Dow,

BY 1 WW, kwuwfj l! 1 ATTORNEYS.

F. E. IVES.

MOTION PICTURE IN COLORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1918- 1,320,760. Patehted NOV. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- @51 kwmdd ATTORNEYS.

F. E; IVES.

MOTION PICTURE IN'COLORS.

. '7 APPLICATION FILED IIIAYZ], 1918. 1,320,760. Patented Nov. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A QZ'TI'IU Y 5C E] ;VINVENTOR Rah/m 5. TWA I BY El Eg Kam qg tvb/l;

/73 /6 ATTORNEYS 1 I E MES PATENT orFIoE,

FBEDEBIG EUGENE IVES, or PHILADELPHIA, rENnsYLvAmA.

1 mo rzon-rrcronnm COLORS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDnRIo Eoeniin Ivns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and. State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motion-Pictures in- Colors, of

which the following is aspecification, refingjdrawing. v This invention relates to motion pictures erence being had therein to the accompany in color, and more especially; to a novel motion picture system, including not only novel method, but novel' materials, apparatus and product for the purposes of photographically taking and exhibiting by projection or otherwise motionfipictures having the colors, or approximately the colors,

of the subject.

- The present invention pertains more particularly to the system in which two selected primary colors are employed, exposure being selectively made upon two sensitive films representing the primaries, from which subsequently after development com-. plementarily colored positives are produced and blended for projecting purposes. For the purposes of description I will hereinafter assume. the two selected primaries as be borne in mind.

red and green, although those skilled in the art will understand that this selection may be varied, and that the red or the green-may be modified considerably for the special purposes of. the subject in hand,or for'artistic reasons, or otherwise. For example,

an oran e-red' and a blue-green may be chosen. ereafter in referring to the primaries or the complementary colors; knownas secondaries, these considerations .aret'o The general object of the present invention is to" afford a color motion picture system of greater simplicity, effectiveness, convenience .and commercial practicability than heretofore proposed systems. particul'ar object is to enable the production of Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

shows the step of printin jecting film strip is a complete color picture containing all the requisite colors, and therefore is able to be utilized in the standard projecting machines without requir mg special attachments, or special alteration in the speed of travel or intensity of the light; and without flashes or fringes of the two primary colors, as has resulted from heretofore attempted systems, Another feature of the present invention is the simultaneous exposure inv a single taking ma- Patented Nov. 4, 1919. Application and Kay 27, 1918. Serial No. 238,768.

chine or motion picture-camera of two sen-.

sitive films, which are to record the two primary colors respectively, anda particular object is to enable this to be done sub stantially on the standardcameras now in commercial use, and, moreover, 1n such manner as to giveimage pairs of absolutecors rectness, and with an exactness of. registration which is attained not only in taking the pictures, but in the subsequent printing and projecting steps. I

To the. attainment of these. objects and p advantages the present invention consists in p the novel methods, steps, materials, apparatus,.me chanisms, combinations, devices,

products and other features hereinafter illusi in trated, described or i claimed. Otherv jadvantages in 'the present invention will {be elucidated in, the hereinafter following de i scription of one or. more illustrative em-- bodiments of the presentinvention, or be understood those skilled .in the srib- 'ject., In the accompanying drawings illustrating convenientv embodiments (sf-the prin-.

ciples hereof, Figure 1 is a lefttside elevation of a motion picture camera adapted to i use in ra-ctising the present invention.'- Fig. 2 is a" rent elevationthereof, partlyIbiokenaway to show certain inechanisini' Fig. 3 in perspective shows certain preferred details of structure at theii 'expos ng part ofj the camera. Fig; 4 is'a somewhat d-iagrammatic axial cross-sectionat the t pe g' point.

.Fig. 5 shows' in fa ce' view thej atureof the,

two negatives:produced'byqeiposure as in Fig.1 4:. .Fig'. 6indicates,the step yo f pri t ;,is a'iface view-of? ing thefirst monochrome positive from one of such negatives; Fig. such positive-"after "de chrome positive in registry upon the first,

and Fig. 9 indicates 'the final multi-color positive film ready for projection.

gt e second 'monogested and co-extensive.

tinguish the present system from those in for the two primaries,'such as red and green, ischaracterized as being both simultaneous By simultaneous I diswhich the red and green exposures are successive or alternate, as in heretofore sugsystems exemplified in Patent 941,960, of November-', 1909; which involve the use of an alternating or rotating red and green screen, and necessitate double the usual speed of't r'aveh'and increased illumination, besides resulting the defects lmownas color flashes or'frmges, due

. to'changes of position of the sub ect between individual exposures. By co-extensive I distinguish the present system from those in which the exposed area is subdivided into a plurality of image spaces, exemplified in prior Patent 1,262,954, r of April 16, 1918; which involve either an undesirably reduced image or enlarged film, besides various expedients, such as a plurality of lenses that must exactly match,

transparent diagonal reflectors that incur loss of light, and one or another scheme to permit the spacing apart of the lenses, so-

that each lens may be .of ample size for motion picture work.

The referred to characteristics of the present system are herein specifically attained in a manner which will be fully described, and involving the following features, or someof them: Referring first to the camera or taking apparatus, I simultaneousl strip cially sensitized or highly sensitive to the selected primaries, such as red and green.

One of them, preferably the green record-'.

ing film, is to be especially translucent, and to be placed in front of the other. I place the two films face to face, thatis, with their sensitive surfaces together, and I cause the advancin travel of both of the films in unison. prefer for this a suitable step-b 7- I step mechanism havin for example, recip- .posing the two simultaneously to each suc-.

rocating claws orhoo s,which rise to engage the perforations .and pull .thefilms' downwardly the requisite amount.-' The device should be capable of reaching through and engagingboth films, and adapted to aline their perforations. By thus using the same step-by-step' mechanism to engage and advance both films-simultaneously, and excessive light image formed by the objective lens, I secure identical registration of both operate two unattached perforated lms adjacently behind the same image forming lens. These twofilms'are-spe-' to cause intimate surface contact over the image areas of the two films, so that the front or notably translucent film may pass the image through to the other without loss or diffusion. Beyond, both above andbelow the exposure position, the two unattached films may. be arranged loosely or looped freely out ofcontact with each other, so that the exact registration by the step-by-step mechanism is free from interference by friction or drag. The exposed films may be taken up together on the usualtake-up spool', and afterward removed, separated and developed to give two negative strips,

each representing one of the two primary colors. Finally, from these negatives I print and blend the appropriate colored positive images upon the exhibiting strip film. The positive strip should be perforated identically with the two negative strips, and I register it in turn with each of them exactly, so that the final multi-color picture has its component images in exactregistry. It is, therefore, such a film as is ready to be used in the ordinary commercial projecting machine, and indeed may be used in sections or as inserts. for a longer film containing also black andwhi'te positives.

I have by this system accomplished the objects and advantages above referredto, and have overcome the prior mentioned objections to motion pictures in color. I will now describe in detail with the aid ofthe accompanying drawings the complete system'and pre erred features thereof, but it will be.understood' that, as the underlying principles and man other features may be extensively modifie no limitations thereto are intended excepting so far as specified in the claims appended at the foot of this specification. g

Referring first to the partly diagrammatic Fig. 4, the rear or red sensitized film 10 is shown as in face contact with the front or green sensitized film 11 during esposure. The contacting sensitive surfaces 12 and 13 may be of gelatin or other colloid, contain .ing silver bromid, and mounted on the usual sort ,of transparent celluloid carriers of elongated strip form. For convenience I will term the rear or red sensitized film 10 the R film, meaning'that it is to recordthe red elements of the subject, and I -will like wise refer to the front film as the G film,

.' although it will be understood that in some cases. different selections of the front and rear primaries, respectlvely, 1 are possible.

The R film 10 is perforated in the usual.

manner at 14,'and the G film at 15. Ma- I chines are well known for accurately ef fecting these perforations, and to minimize the danger of the slightest distortion from of registration, the films may be freshly pershrinkage or expansion and consequent-lack! vforated before-exposure in the camera. De-

' G film is a commodity that is new Wit this invention, especially as a front film-com fectsof registration would be highly objectionable in motion'pictures, where the small images areimmensely magnified upon the curtain, so that slight errors would re-- sultgfin false color effects and red or green fr ges or edges to moving or stationary objects. This factor is one of the chief elements in the problem which has been solved by the present system, which throughout provides against the defects mentioned.

The rear sensitive film 10 may be'a rapid R film made from an emulsion of a character already known, but this would be Wholly unadapted to serve as the front film, since all known emulsions which are highly redsensitive are both coarse-grained and feebly translucent, while being also objectionablysensitive to green light. On the contrary, the G film 11 may be specially prepared for the purposes hereof in a form extremely thin and fine-grained, while notably translucent or substantially. transparent to red light. Such G film, moreover, can be made substantially insensitive to red light, so that, if blue light is excluded, its record is purely green representative. I believe such s ecial by treatment with an extremely dilute solution of erythrosin dye and ammonia.

If it is desired to most thoroughly exclude the effect of green light on the R film, a

screen ma be introduced for exam le in a P a the form of'a' superficial orbody dye of red' color for the R film or a superficial red dye coating on the G film facing the R film, and

which may be water-soluble so as to subse-' quently dissolve out; and a yellow screen over; the lens may be used to exclude blue light. I

During exposure, as indicatedin Fig; 4:,

ithe face-to-facefilmawhile unattached and ."generally free and-loose, have applied to them a local surface pressure to cause inti' mate contact 'over'the image areas under exposure; This is effected by a transparent plate' 20 in front composed -of glass or quartz, and also a pressure block 21 at the rear,-firmly but resiliently pressed forward by a spring22, with preferably a cushion. or

-.l ayer 23 of felt between; It will-be under- --s too'd'thatthe" pressure might be relaxed be.

-,t ween exposuresto facilitate advancing the ldeem this unnecessary, since a or finger whichlengages theperforationsia r the sides of the film and pulls forwardly ,orv

satisfactory, face pressure would be insufficient. to impede the film 'advancing'action,

especially when it is borne in mind that the sensitive surfaces 12, 13, both face inwardly toward each other, while the exposed. or exterior surfaces of :the films are "highly smooth or polished, and are easily drawn through between the felt and glass.

The elements thus for described are substantially all shown .in perspective in. Fig. 3, which indicates that the pressure block 21 gate 25, hinged at 26 in a usual manner, so that the gate may be swung rearward against spring pressure when initially. threading the films into place in the camera.

Without the described squeezing pressure insuring perfect contacting throughout the faces of the 'sensitive'surfaces at the place and time of exposure, bad results would ensue from the dilfusionwhich would occur in the light traversing the space, however slight, between the films wherever they are not in pressed contact. The described press ing means operates without interfering with the intermittent pulling motion or the free looping and winding of the films beyond the ex osure' point, as will be explained.

eferring to the film feeding means, this might be of various types. I prefer a stepby-step feed, of which an ofiicient embodif and felt strip 23 are carried by a swinging ment is that employinga reciprocating'claw downwardly, and then movesreversely'or upwardly to reengage the film. H ll have herein shown a feed claw 30, pivoted .at

31 upon the reciprocatinglyoke 32 a'nol acted onby light springs .33, ich cause the claw to enter the. film perforations. while. permitting" it to yield like a pawl as it-lifts to reengage the film ata' new point.

v The feed claw 30, as herein shown, is of perforations '15 and 14 of the front and rear films and engagethem sinflultaneouslyv in the pulling motion, the pulling or bottom face of the claw being at right angles to I the plane of the films, so that it can exactly register or aline the-two films with rela tion .to each other for the purposes previously explained. Thedescribed feed device, moreover, is located to en age and operate the films as near as feasi le to the exg posure point, so as to render more exact the registration at'that point, notwithstanding slight distortions due to shrinkage of film, although non-registration would 7 be substantially eliminated by the plan of freshly peri a type which is able to reach through thev 1 forating the films, as previously-explained.

Other expedients to insureexact registraorationsto reg- ?oin't, engaging 1 25 tion may be adopted such as a special lsprocket at the exposure and compelling the film per by the-step-by-step feed means.

istei accurately with each other adjacent to the optical image at the moment of exposure.

The above described elements are illus' trated in Figs. 1 and 2, as well as 3 and 4,

and these figures alsd illustrate a convenient I special films, which are unattached, but superposed during travel, and are driven and registered exactly to each other by the ame feeding means.-

Within the camera boX 39 are indicated upper and lower spool retorts 40 and 41 for the upper and lowerspools 42 andv43. The upper spool may be the supply spool and the lower one the take-up spool, which is shown driven by a slip drive or belt 44.

--A single film control sprocket 45 may be used for both the going and returning portions of the film, this being mounted on a drive shaft 46, which maybe rotated exteriorlyffor. example, by a handle. Co-

operating with the control sprocket 45 are upper idlers and lower idlers 48-, holding the different film portions in-engagemen-t with the sprocket, which, it will be understood, rotates continuously at a speed to harmonize with the rate of travel caused Any' suitable shutter may be driven from the drive shaft.- For this purpose the wheel 45is shown ashaving a toothed flange or rim 49 engaging a pinion 5O on the shutter shaft'51, whlch extends forwardly to where the shutter 52 is attached in front of the exposing point. The' shutter is provided with the usual recess 53 for permitting exposure during the periods when the films are not traveling. In front of the shutter is a' lens 54.

The feed means may be actuated in any i suitable or well known manner, and for convenience I show a :simple type of operating connection consisting of a rod 55, pivoted near the center of the shutter and having'iits lower end connected to acrosshead 56, which carries the yoke-32, before mentioned, 'and: causes it to move up'and down carry ng with it the described feed claw device 30.- The drive shaft 46 may be turned byhand at the usual speed to give the regular number of exposures per" second.

Instead of modifying the usual camera- .i by providing for two supply spools or reels,

I prefer the single suppy reel 42' for both the R film and the G film, and, as shown, I I wind the two unattached sensitive films upon this reel, face to face, with sufficient looseness to allow for inequalities in length and to insure the separation of the films in their subsequent manipulation. I consider this an important featur of the present system and believe that a reel wound with face toface films of different sensitiveness is a novel article of commerce. It renders the taking of motion pictures in color as simple in all respects as the taking of ordinary black and white motion pictures.

I prefer, however, that the two films shall l0? and 11 are shown in face contact. The

portions 10", 11 extend from the spool to the 'control sprocket 45,. which draws them from the spool. Beyond the sprocket are the looped portions 10, 11, and here it will be observed that the .G film 11 is longer, and therefore constitutes a' larger loop than the R film portion 10, which would be drawn forward or slightly tightened in the act of threading the machine. Again beyond and below the exposing position are the freely looped and separated film portions 10 and 11, the latter Dr G film being longer by reason of bein vset back one or more feed perforationsw en threading the machine.

, *rom the control sprocket to the take-up spool, 43 the film portions 10 and 11 extend, and they are wound or taken, up simultaneously on the spool, which is yieldingly driven for this purpose, the Wound film portions 10 and. 11 standin unattached, but face to face as in the supp y spool.

By this system it will be observed that the two sensitive films are free of any registerlng or drivlng attachments beyond, both. above and below, the exposure point and feed means, so that the latter is free to accuwithout interference. Throughout the entire course of the films they are inface contact, and the two films, therefore, give'inw' 'tual' protection from abrasion or other in-- -rately feed and relatively register the films l v plates, sprockets, and other mechinto a G negative 13*, both shown in Fig. 5.

Lachof those negatives is reversed with resRectQto the other, and the two, if assembled face to face, will re 'ster exactly as to each successive image an its adjacent film perforations throughout the series.

The positives may be made and blended for exhibiting by printing two separate monochrome films which could be run simul taneously through the projecting machine analogously to the sensitive films through the camera; but this is inferior, .and the full embodiment of the' present invention calls for a single colored positive film 16, which can be operated exactly like the ordi-' nary black and white film and may comprise, as indicated in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, a sensin tized gelatin surface 17 on a celluloid carrier, the latter having the same marginal perforations 18 as appear in the sensitive films. The printing may be performed in any inclosed space or dark box with usual source of light, and preferably I perform two printings in succession, first, from the R negative 12 and second from the G negative 13*, with exact registry of each negative to the positive film and with or without face pressure to give proper contact. The printing apparatus may be actuated and, the exposure controlled by a step=bystep travel mechanism, analogous to that in v the camera, and'not shown except in respect 1 to the pulling claws or fingerslQ, 19*, appearing in Figs. 6 and 8, whichin turn register the two negatives with the print member 16. The two negatives having been made in exact registry, as'before described, the 9 two positive images will register I and blend accurately in the finished print;

Fig. 6 represents/the step of printing a series oiE-positive images from the R negative 12 upon the positive film 16. The

result is the positive image 17 shown in Fig. 7, which is voif'course'to becolo-red'blue to-green, the complementary of red. Fig. 8

represents the step of printing upon this monochrome positive 17P-the second image bythe G negative 13. On account of its reversed character the negative image in 7 this instance is inverted.v The resulting image is, of course, to be colored red, and we thus have the compliate multi-colorimage 17", shown in Fig. 9. In Figs. 7 and 9 the slanting shade lines indicate green, and the vertical ones red. I

l The details and the chemistry of the printing and developing steps may be varied atjwill. If" separate monochrome positive films are first made and developed, and then attached to form a sin 1e film,the'.process' 'm'ay be employed WlIIOlI is described in Patent No. 1,248,864, of December 4:, 1917.

"I prefer, however, that the two monochromes shall belformedsuccessively in the same colloid layer, for example, by first is washed out in water.

or by "a yellow" s forming one color image within the body of the layer and thereafter sensitizing, exposing and by a different-process introducing an image of a different color into the body of the same layer 111 registry with the first image. The details oi such print making in themselves do'not constitute the present invention, but suitable details are disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,170,540, of February 8, 1916. The procedure may be to print, as-in Fig. 6 from the R negative filminto the positive film an ordinary silver bro-mid image and develop it to black. This first image might be printed through the rear of the positive member, so that it would be at the bottom of the colloid layer, the second image to be printed at the top thereof. I show. and describe, however,

both images printed from-the top, as in Figs. 6 and 8, by inverting the G negative red, which is absorbed and selectively mordante'd, after which theunmordanted dye Another and quicker way to secure'two blended images is in accordance with my copending applicatieaieaset, filed October 9, 1917, wherein the G negative is used for printing, giving on" development a silver image, which'is toned .to a satisfactory red color by the 4 copper toning process; and the second or olue green image is added by sensitizing and printing according to the iron process so as to form in the same colloid layer a cyanotype image blending with the previously formed red image. We now have a selective red image blended with a blue green image, and the two-color positive film when driedfl'is ready for projecting purposes.

The color motion pictures may be exhibited by-projecting on a' curtain by exactly the same 'apparatus'that is used for black and white pictures. The various 'possible m'ixtures and proportions'of the two secondary colors give an immense variety I oit nes in the projected pictures, Ifdesired, the I veracity of coloring might beenhanced by employing as secondaries magenta and pea ,f cock, and projecting the by a mixture of red and green light, for example, by. uniformly dyeing the film fwitha yellow tint inthe lantern. I .pre-

fer, howeverth dncteased, illumination for all ordinary purposes.

In describing the films 10 and 11 as unattached, I mean .they are only loosely assembled, and are face free and able to be simultaneously registered by the perfora tion engaging claw of the feed'mechanism, and are readily separable for developing, and not cemented together or boundoat the edges, and preferably wholly unconnected and so capable of the particular operations illustrated.

It will thus be seen that I have described a system, method, materials, apparatus and product in accordance with the principles and embodying the features of the present invention, the specific disclosures, however, being subject to various modifications within the scope of the invention. What is claimed is:

1. The method of pictures to yield two complementary negative strip films from which series'of posihind the lens and with their sensitized surtive images may be produced and blended for exhibiting the pictures in color and motion, comprising advancingv directly befaces facing toward each other two unattached complementarily' sensitized identically perforated traveling film strips, while maintaining the image spaces at the exposurep oint in exact mutual registration with taking color-motioneach other and the film perforations, and producing local intimate face contact of the sensitized surfaces of the two strips .by a

thereof against a rigid transparent plate located behind the lens and through which the light passes to simultaneously and coextensively expose complementary images on the two strips respectively.

2. The method as in claim 1 and wherein the front one vof the two face contacting film strips bears an emulsion notably translucent to the color which the rear strip is to record.

3. The method as in claim 1 and wherein the front one of the two face contacting film strips bears an emulsion notably translucent to the color which the rear strip is to record,'and one of the sensitive films bears a surface screen to exclude other actinic colors from the rear strip. I

4:. The method as in claim 1 and wherein the front film strip is sensitized to green light and notably fine grained and translucent-to red, and. the rear strip is sensitized to red.

5. The method asin claim 1 and wherein the unattached film strips are maintained mutually free and loose beyond the exposure point. i

.In testimony whereof, I have'afiixed my signature hereto.

FREDERIC EUGENE IVESK .resilient squeezing pressure at the rear 

